When creating an application for a mobile computing device, developers often bundle the data and resources associated with or utilized by the application into a single application package file. Some mobile operating systems (such as iOS) unpack application package files during installation, which may enable security software to encrypt the individual components within an application package file and then seamlessly decrypt and provide access to the same during runtime. Other mobile operating systems, however, may directly read application package files during runtime instead of unpacking the same, which may frustrate attempts by security software to successfully encrypt individual components within an application package file and provide access to the same during runtime.
For example, some operating systems (such as ANDROID) read and store various attributes (such as file names and sizes) of the individual components that make up an application package file during device startup. When these individual components are encrypted, however, the encryption process may change one or more of these attributes. Unfortunately, because individual components are called for execution using their stored attributes, if an attribute of a component is altered during the encryption process, a runtime call for the same may result in an error or prevent the application in question from properly executing.
As such, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for successfully encrypting individual components within an application package file and providing access to the same during runtime.